Thursday, October 4, 2012

Won't somebody please think of the bees?




I have an irrational fear of yellow/black things that fly. Big hairy spiders? NO PROBLEM, I will catch them and shoe them out the door.


          

Kingston ghetto bugs that used to hang out under pillows that were haphazardly thrown on the bed (whilst making said bed) only to rush under my covers. NBD, I will smush them, and send them back from whenst they came.


                                      

But wasps? Hornets? Bees? I turn into a pathetic creature that whimpers and points and makes my 2 year old dog chase them out of the house.
                                     File:Apis mellifera flying.jpg

The things is I LOVE honey. I have about 5 variety's in my pantry at present. Cranberry, wildflower, lemon, Manitoba, Chilliwack, you name it I probably have tried it. I I like the concept of honey bees, and I am really worried about them. The honey bees are dying. I have heard it be attributed to a number of different things: temperature changes, increased use of herbicides, nice green lawns = no flowers, and/or a virus or some other pathogen. No matter what the reason(s) they honeybee industry is collapsing, and people are starting to have to fee them sugar syrup in order to produce the same volume of honey.

The most recent problem? Bees in France are using M&M sugar coating byproducts as a sugar source (rather than flower nectar) and consequently, the honey is turning blue or green (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-19835847). 
                                 

Won't somebody PLEASE think of the bees?